Operating-room for hospitals.



H. J. SCHLACKS.

OPERATING ROOM FOR HOSPITALS. APPLICATION FILED APR.13, 1911.

1,134,161. Patented Apr.6, 1915.

WJ ZEYSW 17%)! w .111 Nulemu Pk IL-Rb c0. PHOTOVIJTHO. WASIIINGfi/N. u c

UNITE STATES FATE T @FFTC.

HENRY J. SCI-ILAGKS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OPERATING-ROOM FOR HOSPITALS.

Application filed April 13, 1911.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY J. SCHLACKS, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Operating-Rooms for Hospitals, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to operating rooms for hospitals although it isnot restricted to hospitals or even to operating rooms, the main objectbeing to heat any room without permitting the air which comes directlyfrom the heating means, to enter the room.

It is well recognized by the medical profession that the rooms in whichoperations are performed must be kept scrupulously clean and in anantiseptic condition and that a constant predetermined temperature bemaintained therein. Operating rooms as constructed prior to my inventionhave been heated by radiators located therein, but these radiators havebeen a fruitful source of infection because of the dust particles andgerms which collect on their rough surfaces and are subsequentlydistributed throughout the room by the convectional currents set up bythe radiators. Y To overcome this danger the radiators are usuallycovered at the time of an operation with sheets of textile material, buteven this pre caution is insufficient to prevent the dust and germs frombeing distributed throughout the room.

My present invention aims to eliminate this source of danger ofinfection by re moving the radiators from the room entirely and heatingthe room indirectly through the walls without permitting the air whichcomes directly in contact with the radiators to enter the room at all.

To accomplish this result I construct a room with double walls, leavingan air chamber between them in which the radiators or other source ofheat are located, the inner wall being relatively thin and of good heatconducting properties so that the heat will be transmitted therethroughto the interior of the room.

Another source of danger of infection in the ordinary operating room hasbeen the light which is usually suspended directly over the operatingtable. The dust and germs which collect on the light frequentlySpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

Serial No. 620,943.

become dislodged and drop down into the open wound and thereby causeinfection.

My present invention aims also to avoid this danger of infection bysuspending the light above a transparent plate arranged in the ceiling,so that any dust or germs dislodged therefrom can not enter the room.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the followingdescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsillustrating one preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings-Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view of anoperating room constructed in accordance With my invention; and Fig. 2is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

From the drawings it will be observed that the room comprises anordinary floor 5 preferably tiled, side-walls 6, rear walls 7, a frontwall 8 and a ceiling 9. The vertical walls and the ceiling may beconstructed in any approved manner and constitute the outer walls of theroom. Doors 10 opening into the adjacent rooms or halls may be locatedin the side and rear walls wherever they may be found necessary orconvenient and the wall 8 is preferably provided with windows 11 ofusual construction. The structure thus far described does not differmaterially from building constructions which have been in use prior tomy invention.

Around the interior of the room and spaced from the vertical walls Iconstruct an inner wall 12 leaving an air chamber between the inner andouter walls. The inner walls are joined to the outer walls around thedoors 10 and around the windows 18 disposed adjacent the windows 11 soas to form a continuous air chamber surrounding the room. Thewindow-sills 1 1 are perforated as indicated at 15 to establishcommunication between the spaces between the windows and the air chamberbeneath the sills, shutters being provided to close the perforationswhen desired. The compartments 16 between the ends of the windowsillscommunicate at both their upper and I ductor of heat so that heat fromthe air chamber will be conveyed to the interior of the room throughthese walls! 'The'inner walls, including the inner ceiling, arepreferably made of metal'lathing coated with plaster,'but any othermaterial having good heat conducting properties may beemploy d instead,if preferred.

In the air chamber formed between the inner and outer walls are locatedthe heat ing elements 18, these elements in the present instance beingshown in' the form of steam or hot water radiators. 'The doors 19 areprovided in the outer wall adjacent the radiators so that 'thevalve'scontrolling the radiators may be manipulated by opening these doors froman adjoining room.

Normally these doors are closed-so that radiators are wholly inclos edinthe air space surrounding the operating room. Air is admitted to thespace either through perforations in the bottom of the -doors'19' orthrough other suitable-inlet openings. The air surrounding the'radiatorsis'heated and circulatesthrough the air chamber, suitable ventilatingfiues QO-bein'g provided in the ceiling to assist in maintainingaflprope'r circulation of the air and distribution of the heatthroughout the chamber. It will be evident that the air which comesdirectly in contact withthe radiators and is more or less laden withdust particles and germs is prevented from entering the operating roomitself, the heat from this air, however, being conducted to the interiorof the room through the relatively thin heat conducting inner walls. Theconvectional currents set up by the radiators are thus prevented fromentering the room and the danger of infection from the air distributedby the radiators is thereby obviated. While Ihave shown the radiators aslocated directly in the air space surrounding the room, it will beobvious that if the buildingis heated by a hot air furnace the hot airpipes may be connected with the air chamber and the heated air will becirculated around the chamber in a similar manner.

The inner walls and the ceiling are preferably tiled or painted so thatthey may be easily washed and disinfected and the ceiling isvrelativelylow, preferably not more than 7 to 9 feet above the floor, thus reducingthe wall space and making it easier to clean. A large plate-glasSQl,preferably circular in form, is mounted in the center of the ceilingover the operating table and a light 22, which maybe of any preferredtype, is suspended above the glass. The lights which are used in thisconnection are customarily mounted so that they can be swung fronitheinterior of the room to bring the light directly over any part of thetable. This movement of the light has heretofore causeddust particlesand infectious germs to fall upon the'subject', but by positioning thelight above the glass alldangers of infection from this source areeliminated. From-th'e'foregoing it will be observed that the operatingroom has a smooth interior surface unbroken by radiators or otherheating elements so that all portions of the room may be readily andthoroughly washed and disinfected. The proper temp'er'ature-ismaintained in the room by the heat which is conducted through the-innerwalls, while'the air which directly contacts with the heating elementsis prevented from entering the room itself, thus obviating dangers ofinfection from this source and the light above the operating table issuspended above a plate'in the ceiling so that no in fectious particlescan drop therefrom onto the subject. P V

It is'thou'ght that the invention and many i with inner supplementalside walls'and a.

supplemental ceiling spaced from the walls and ceiling respectively ofthe building and defining therewith a space surrounding said sidewallsand ceiling of the room and sealed from the interior of said roomand in operati've relation to the heating system of the building, therebeing a doorway leading through the outer and inner walls to give accesstothe interior of the room, the space between the inner and outer wallsbeing sealed around the doorway. o

2. A hospital building having a heating system, and an operating roomprovided with inner supplemental side walls and a supplemental ceilingspaced from the-walls and ceiling respectively of the building anddefining therewith a space surrounding said side walls and ceiling ofthe room and sealed from the interior of said'room for receiving atemporary medium, there being a doorway leading through the outer andinner walls to give'access to the interior of the room, the spacebetween the inner and outer walls being sealed around-the doorway and acirculatingcoil-located in said space between the inner and outer wallsand in communication with the heating system of the building.

3. A hospital building having a heating system, and an operating roomprovided with inner supplemental side walls and a supplemental ceilingspaced from the walls and ceiling respectively of the building anddefining therewith a space surrounding said side walls and ceiling ofthe room and sealed from the interior of said room for receiving atempering medium, there being a doorway leading through the outer andinner walls to give access to the interior of the room, the spacebetween the inner and outer walls being sealed around the doorway, acirculating coil located in said space between the inner and outer wallsand in communication with the heating system of the building, alight-admitting plate forming a part of one of the inner supplementalwalls, and a source of artificial light located in said space betweenthe inner and outer walls and disposed to shine through thelight-admitting plate.

4. A hospital building having an operating room provided with innersupplemental side walls and a supplemental ceiling spaced from the wallsand ceiling respectively of the building and defining therewith a spacesurrounding said side walls and ceiling of the room for the circulationof a tempering medium, and sealed from the interior of said room, therebeing a doorway leading through the outer and inner walls to give accessto the interior of the room, the space between the inner and outer wallsbeing sealed around the doorway.

5. A hospital building having an operating room provided with innersupplemental walls spaced from the side walls and ceiling respectivelyof the building and defining therewith a space surrounding said sidewalls and ceiling of the room and sealed from the interior of said roomfor receiving a tempering medium, there being a doorway leading throughthe outer and inner walls to give access to the interior of the room,the space between the inner and outer walls being sealed around thedoorway, a light-admitting plate forming a part of one of the innersupplemental walls, and a source of artificial light located in thespace between the inner and outer walls and dis posed to shine throughthe light-admitting plate.

HENRY J. SCHLAOKS. Witnesses:

G. M. STONE, H. J. BRAEK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

